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Frederick Layton's Milwaukee legacy

If you've lived in Milwaukee for awhile, or just traveled to the airport, chances are you've driven along Layton Avenue.

But do you know the story of the man behind the street sign?

Frederick Layton made his fortune in the meat packing industry, but he was also one of Milwaukee's first patrons of the arts. Over his lifetime, he acquired an impressive collection of European paintings, sculptures, and furniture. He made his collection available to the public, using his own money to build an art gallery and art school in downtown Milwaukee.

The gallery was demolished in 1957, but his collation has been preserved at the Milwaukee Art Museum and in a new book written by two local historians.

For the first time in more than a decade, a new permanent exhibit is open to the public at the Milwaukee Public Museum.
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